The widespread use of antibiotics in intensive animal farming to prevent disease in poor welfare conditions is a major driver of antibiotic resistance — a public health crisis rooted in an animal welfare failure.
The antibiotic resistance crisis has deep roots in animal welfare failure. Animals kept in conditions that compromise their immunity and behavioral needs are more susceptible to infectious disease — requiring antibiotic treatment or preventive medication that contributes to resistance. Improving welfare conditions reduces disease, reduces antibiotic need, and produces co-benefits for public health. This creates one of the strongest arguments for animal welfare improvement that connects directly to human health: better animal welfare means less antibiotic use, which means slower resistance development, which means antibiotics that continue to work for humans who need them.